Welded Vs. Screw-on Muzzle Attachment?

[foxfire]

I am under the impression that the BATF prefers legal muzzle attachments that are welded to the barrel rather than screwed on.

Or is this a BATF regulatory requirement that I had better observe, if I want to have a compliant weapon made from a kit?

In other words, if I replace a threaded slant muzzle brake of foreign manufacture (came on the barrel) with a threaded US-made slant muzzle brake, the BATF might not be totally happy with me.

However, if I weld the slant muzzle brake to the threaded barrel, everything would be legal, both in the spirit and the letter of BATF regulations. True?

[allesennogwat]

The only thing that matters is the parts count.The only thing welding does is do away with a muzzle device in the parts count.If you have enough other US parts you can have a threaded imported muzzle device.A thread protector is not considered a muzzle device and is okay to be threaded also.

[foxfire]

I get it. If I weld the original (came with the kit screwed on the barrel of my AK47) slant muzzle brake to the barrel, it is no longer considered as a separate part and is not included in the BATF list of parts. That is a good option to have.

Thanks for the information.

[allesennogwat]

If you want the threads but not the foreign part a plain non slant brake thread protector isn't counted as a muzzle device.

[KernelKrink]

Welding it on doesn't remove it from the category of "muzzle device" for parts count purposes. Back when the federal "Assault Weapon" ban was in place we had to weld or solder on the muzzle brakes we installed over the forbidden bbl threads. The muzzle brake was still considered a muzzle attachment in regards to the parts count. The trunnion on a G3 is permanently welded into the receiver, yet it still counts as a separate part. Ditto for the riveted (and sometimes welded) front trunnions on an AK.

With the expiration of the Fed AW ban, we no longer have to permanently attach things to the muzzle, threads are just fine. A plain muzzle nut is considered a "thread protector" by ATF since it is not designed to act as a brake or flash suppressor so it is not considered a "muzzle device" for parts count purposes.

State laws differ from Fed, however. Several states such as California passed their own AW bans that are still in effect. If the state ban says muzzle threads are forbidden, you will have to weld/solder your muzzle attachment on to be legal.